INTERNET OF THINS
OBJECTIVES: At the end of the lesson, students are expected to:
analyze the implication of Internet of Things; and
share thoughts and projections about the Internet of Things.
INTRODUCTION
Hello students! Welcome to Lesson 2 of Module 4. In the previous topics, you’ve
learn about the different online services that you can enjoy and utilize in your daily
transactions as well as your leisure. This time, we will move forward to the drastic change
that has been brought to us by the internet. Are you ready? Let’s begin!
What is the Internet of Things?
The Internet of Things, or IoT, refers to the billions of physical devices around the world that
are now connected to the internet, all collecting and sharing data. Thanks to the arrival of
super-cheap computer chips and the ubiquity of wireless networks, it's possible to turn
anything, from something as small as a pill to something as big as an aeroplane, into a part of
the IoT. Connecting up all these different objects and adding sensors to them adds a level of
digital intelligence to devices that would be otherwise dumb, enabling them to communicate
real-time data without involving a human being. The Internet of Things is making the fabric
of the world around us more smarter and more responsive, merging the digital and physical
universes.
The Internet of Things and smart cities
By spreading a vast number of sensors over a town or city, planners can get a better idea of
what's really happening, in real time. As a result, smart cities projects are a key feature of the
IoT. Cities already generate large amounts of data (from security cameras and environmental
sensors) and already contain big infrastructure networks (like those controlling traffic lights).
IoT projects aim to connect these up, and then add further intelligence into the system.
There are plans to blanket Spain's Balearic Islands with half a million sensors and turn it into
a lab for IoT projects, for example. One scheme could involve the regional social-services
department using the sensors to help the elderly, while another could identify if a beach has
become too crowded and offer alternatives to swimmers. In another example, AT&T is
launching a service to monitor infrastructure such as bridges, roadways, and railways with
LTE-enabled sensors to monitor structural changes such as cracks and tilts.
The ability to better understand how a city is functioning should allow planners to make
changes and monitor how this improves residents; lives.
Big tech companies see smart cities projects as a
potentially huge area, and many -- including mobile
operators and networking companies -- are now
positioning themselves to get involved.
What is 5G? Everything you need to know about the new
wireless revolution
It's a capital improvement project the size of the entire
planet, replacing one wireless architecture created this century with another one that aims to
lower energy consumption and maintenance costs.
Read More
How do Internet of Things and 5G connect and share data?
IoT devices use a variety of methods to connect and share data, although most will use some
form of wireless connectivity: homes and offices will use standard Wi-Fi, Zigbee or
Bluetooth Low Energy (or even Ethernet if they aren't especially mobile); other devices will
use LTE (existing technologies include Narrowband IoT and LTE-M, largely aimed at small
devices sending limited amounts of data) or even satellite connections to communicate.
However, the vast number of different options has already led some to argue that IoT
communications standards need to be as accepted and interoperable as Wi-Fi is today.
One area of growth in the next few years will undoubtedly be the use of 5G networks to
support IoT projects. 5G offers the ability to fit as many as one million 5G devices in a
square kilometre, which means that it will be possible to use a vast number of sensors in a
very small area, making large-scale industrial IoT deployments more possible. The UK has
just started a trial of 5G and the IoT at two 'smart factories'. However, it could be some time
before 5G deployments are widespread: Ericsson predicts that there will be somewhere
around five billion IoT devices connected to cellular networks by 2025, but only around a
quarter of those will be broadband IoT, with 4G connecting the majority of those.
Outdoor surveillance cameras will be the largest market for 5G IoT devices in the near term,
according to Gartner, accounting for the majority (70%) of the 5G IoT devices this year,
before dropping to around 30% by the end of 2023, at which point they will be overtaken by
connected cars.
Image: Gartner
The analyst firm predicts that there will be 3.5 million 5G IoT devices in use this year, and
nearly 50 million by 2023. Longer term the automotive industry will be the largest sector for
5G IoT use cases, it predicted.
One likely trend is that, as the IoT develops, it could be that less data will be sent for
processing in the cloud. To keep costs down, more processing could be done on-device with
only the useful data sent back to the cloud – a strategy known as 'edge computing'. This will
require new technology – like tamper-proof edge servers that can collect and analyse data far
from the cloud or corporate data center.
IoT evolution: Where does the Internet of Things go next?
As the price of sensors and communications continue to drop, it becomes cost-effective to
add more devices to the IoT – even if in some cases there's little obvious benefit to
consumers. Deployments are at an early stage; most companies that are engaging with the
IoT are at the trial stage right now, largely because the necessary technology – sensor
technology, 5G and machine-learning powered analytics – are still themselves at a reasonably
early stage of development. There are many competing platforms and standards and many
different vendors, from device makers to software companies to network operators, want a
slice of the pie. It's still not clear which of those will win out. But without standards, and with
security an ongoing issue, we are likely to see some more big IoT security mishaps in the
next few years.
As the number of connected devices continues to rise, our living and working environments
will become filled with smart products – assuming we are willing to accept the security and
privacy trade-offs. Some will welcome the new era of smart things. Others will pine for the
days when a chair was simply a chair.
